Speaking Cheerleader
by Mandi96
Summary: Ever wondered why Taylor is able to speak cheerleader? Takes place about a month after the movie. Troy and Gabriella are dating, Chad and Taylor are only casual friends.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ok, well this is my first Fan Fiction EVER, so please be nice. I'm open to constructive criticism. This was just a random idea that I had while I was watching HSM recently**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER ONE**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

It was a Friday afternoon, and Taylor and Gabriella were walking down the halls of East High. It was free period, and they were wandering around talking to each other. Suddenly, a pair of hands covered Gabriella's eyes. "Guess who!" a very familiar voice asked.

Taylor rolled her eyes. It wasn't that she didn't like Troy, or that she disapproved in any way. She kind of liked watching them fool around and flirt with each other. She leaned her shoulder against the lockers and watched Troy and Gabriella talking and flirting with each other. Chad, who had been talking with Troy until he'd spotted Gabriella, was beside her.

"Was it just me, or did Darbus seem unusually nice today?" Chad was making small talk. They were both waiting for Gabby and Troy to finish.

"I noticed that too. I wonder what it could be." Taylor said idly. Normally they wouldn't be talking. At the after party, which she and Chad had gone together to, Chad and Taylor had separated and had started hanging out with their usual groups. Taylor didn't think that they'd spent more than 10 minutes together the entire night. Now they were back to the way they'd been before the whole musical thing, with the one exception that both of their best friends were dating each other. Taylor supposed that put them on the friendship level.

After a few minutes of chitchat, which neither of them was really interested in, Troy and Gabriella joined them. They talked as a group until the bell rang, then Taylor and Gabby headed off to their Chemistry class, while Troy and Chad went to P.E.

**-----HSM-----**

That night Gabby slept over at Taylor's. Their once-a-week sleepovers had become somewhat of a ritual, both of the girls loving being able to spend a night just talking, watching movies, eating junk food, having fun and forgetting about schoolwork.

Tonight, they were sitting in Taylor's living room, watching "John Tucker Must Die." They were at the part where the cheerleaders were doing their routine, when Taylor's older brother Damien walked through the room.

"Wow, those guys are pretty good. Not as good as you were, though." He laughed, thinking to himself that he was a pretty great guy to compliment his sister. As he left the room, Gabby looked at Taylor questioningly.

Taylor realized that she would finally have to explain things, so she whispered to Gabby, "not now, I'll tell you later." Gabby nodded, and went back to watching the movie.

Later that night, when they were in bed talking, Gabby brought up the subject. "What did Damien mean when he said that you were better than they were?"

Taylor took a deep breath, and explained.

"Well, this is my first year at East High, same as you. We moved here to Albuquerque during the summer. In my old High school, I was a cheerleader. Not just a cheerleader, but I was pretty good friends with the head cheerleader. I had average grades, mostly B's, but I was getting them without trying, because cheer was the only thing that mattered to me. When we moved here, I realized that cheer was good; it was a lot of fun! But cheer didn't get you scholarships **(A/N: I have no idea if this is true in the States)**, grades got you scholarships. The whole moving made me realize that we weren't rich. I mean, we're not poor or anything, but Mom and Dad don't make enough to be able to contribute much to my higher education. If I wanted to go to a good college, I'd have to win scholarships. If I wanted scholarships, I'd have to make my grades spectacular. So, at East High, I'm concentrating on my studies."

"But what about cheerleading? You said you loved it." Gabby said softly, wondering if maybe she was just making it worse.

"I do miss cheering for the crowd, and having everybody yelling and getting people's spirits up. But I joined cheer in the first place because I loved dancing. So now, after school, I go to a dance studio and dance there." Taylor was quiet for a few seconds, and then she realized something. "Gabby, you can't tell anyone."

"Why is it such a big deal?"

"Because now that I'm not a cheerleader, I look at the way the cheerleaders act from the outside, and I've realized that cheerleaders are stereotyped just as much as us science geeks are. Being stereotyped as a cheerleader, even though it makes you popular, is worse than being stereotyped as a science geek. Besides, if everyone suddenly knew I was a cheerleader, they would start gossiping and watching my every move. I'd much rather be in the crowd than the center of attention."

"That kind of makes sense. Alright, I won't tell anybody."

"Thank you so much. You know, it feels kind of good to have someone know." Taylor smiled, and the girls talked of other subjects before drifting off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yay, you like it! As I said, this is my first attempt at writing Fanfiction. I've read a lot of it though, and I'm trying to make mine original. Please review: I'd love to know what you think!**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER TWO**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Sunday night, Gabby and Troy had a date. It was just dinner, and they were laughing and talking together. Gabby was a bit quieter than usual, because she was thinking of Taylor's secret, and how certain things now made sense, like Taylor's opinions on cheerleaders, the way she was able to "speak cheerleader," her dancing when they'd sung "We're all in this together" and several other things.

Troy, noticing that she had became quiet, asked her what she was thinking about.

"Cheerleading." She said without thinking. Her eyes widened and she looked up, she was hoping desperately that Troy wouldn't ask her any more questions. Should she lie to her boyfriend? Lying to a boyfriend was certainly wrong, and if Troy guessed that she was lying, it could ruin things, because he wouldn't trust her.

"That seems kind of random." Troy laughed. "Are you thinking of joining?"

"No I'm not. Cheerleading's not something I would consider doing. Not my thing." She laughed, and tried to do some damage control. "No, I was just thinking of one thing, which led to me thinking of another thing, which led me to thinking about cheerleading. You know how it is." She laughed a little at Troy's confused face.

"Umm, yeah I guess." Troy changed the subject. "So did you want to go see a movie after this?"

"Sure, Troy." Gabby said, thankful that she hadn't let anything slip.

Later that night, Gabby was on the phone with Taylor. She explained what happened, and how she had felt about the possibility of lying to her boyfriend. Taylor said she understood, and told Gabby that if Troy asked, and it was impossible to avoid talking about it, Gabby could tell him. But Gabby had to make it clear that he couldn't tell anyone else, of course.

**-----HSM-----**

A week later, on Friday, Gabby and Taylor were wandering around during free period again. It had become another type of ritual. They would appear to be walking randomly, when they both knew that Troy and Chad would join them at a certain time, as they passed a certain spot: the bulletin boards.

As the foursome was together, talking, Gabby's eyes wandered over the bulletin board, and she saw a red and white piece of paper.

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

CHEERS!

Due to the unfortunate broken leg of one of our squad, we will

be hosting tryouts next Thursday All are able to try out, but you

must know how to dance. Previous cheerleading experience is a

definite bonus. So come out and give us your best Wildcat cheer!

We desperately need someone before the next game, which is

coming up in a few weeks.

Talk to Amy Jefferson if you have any questions

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Troy's eyes followed Gabby's and saw that she was looking at the cheerleading notice. "Gabby? Why are you looking at an announcement for cheerleading? You told me before that you'd never do something like that. Come on; tell me what's the sudden interest in cheerleading?"

Gabby's eyes looked at Taylor. Taylor's widened, and she silently plead, pointing with her eyes to Chad. Gabby nodded slightly, and whispered to Troy "I can't tell you here, I'll tell you later, OK?"

Troy looked a little confused, but he nodded. Taylor quickly asked Chad a question, drawing Gabby into the conversation. Hopefully Chad hadn't noticed anything.

After school, Troy walked Gabby home as usual, and Gabby explained everything to Troy. Troy agreed not to say anything. After all, who could understand "not wanting to be the cheerleading girl, just a girl" any better than him?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I've decided that I'll be uploading a chapter a day. Unless, of course people stop reviewing, then I'll have to slow it down.**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER THREE**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Monday afternoon Taylor and Gabby were walking to their next class, when all of a sudden, Taylor heard a scream, and then her name being called. Taylor's eyes widened and she froze, recognizing that scream, and the voice that was calling her name. She looked up and spotted the last person she'd ever expected to see.

"Kendra! Wow, what are you doing here?"

"My parents took me here to Albuquerque for the week, and I figured I'd come and pay you a visit! I looked it up, and there are only two High Schools here, East High and West High. East High was closer to where we're staying so I figured that I'd come here first. Look at me go! I've only been here for a few minutes, and BANG! I see you walking down the hall"

It was Kendra Williams, Taylor's friend from her old town. Kendra had a loud voice, which was probably a side effect of her being a head cheerleader at their school. Everyone was looking at the new girl who was just randomly there. The cheerleaders started whispering "wow, look at her boots, and her bag! Why is someone with incredibly good fashion sense, talking to someone like her?"

Taylor was just standing there, and then she gave herself a little shake, and turned to Gabby. "Kendra, this is Gabby, my best friend **(A/N: Kendra and Taylor were never best friends, just good friends)**. Gabby, this is Kendra. The girl I was telling you about, the head cheerleader from my old town." She turned to Kendra.

"Kendra, listen there's something I have to tell you..." but she was interrupted when Troy and Chad came up.

Chad immediately started hitting on Kendra, and Kendra started flirting back. Taylor rolled her eyes at Kendra. Taylor interrupted their little banter.

"Ok Chad, now if you'll give me a few minutes, I'll actually tell you her name. Kendra, this is Chad, and this is Troy. Troy and Chad: this is Kendra. Troy and Gabby are going out, and Chad basically goes out with a different cheerleader every week."

"Oh," Kendra said. "So you haven't been able to keep him, huh?"

Chad started laughing. "Me, go out with Taylor? Now there's a funny thought. Why would I ever want to date Taylor? We're just friends because both of out best friends are dating each other."

Kendra looked confused. "But I thought Taylor said you dated cheerleaders, why haven't you gone out with her?"

Taylor sighed. "That's what I was going to tell you, Kendra. Come here, I have to tell you something." She drew Kendra away from a very confused Chad, and whispered that she wasn't a cheerleader anymore. Kendra eyes widened, and she began to talk... loudly.

"But why? You loved cheerleading! You said it was the thing that kept you alive! You used to come up with routines and everything! You were on the second tier of the pyramid!"

Taylor frantically told Kendra to be quiet. Taylor said quietly "Nobody here knows that I used to be a cheerleader, and I don't want them to know! Please, don't ask questions, just please! Keep it a secret!"

Kendra nodded, and the two of them turned around. Kendra's loud voice had done it's damage. Chad was standing there with his mouth open, staring at Taylor in shock. Taylor could hear the news being whispered down the hallways, the East High grapevine was in full swing. "Did you know? At her old school, McKessie was a cheerleader!" Taylor could see out of the corner of her eye that the group of cheerleaders were whispering and glancing at her.

Taylor sighed, and leaned her body against the locker, closing her eyes and trying to tell herself that it would be OK.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I was planning on uploading a chapter every day. Sorry about this weekend though, I was babysitting the entire weekend, and they don't have wireless, so I was unable to update. But here you go! (BTW, coming back after not being able to check every day and seeing that I already have 20 reviews… the rush! Thanks a lot you guys!**

**My biggest concern is the emotions that Taylor is feeling. I'm really trying to keep it in character, and not blow things out of proportion.**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Kendra left immediately, knowing that she had done some major damage. She apologized to Taylor, and gave her the name of the hotel, in case she wanted to talk, or reach her. The rest of the day, people kept looking at her. She sighed as she left the school building when school was over. At least no one had laughed at her. Gabby came up behind her and took her hand.

"Come on, let's go somewhere and talk." They ended up going to the mall food court, sitting at a table. Gabby had bought Taylor some ice cream: the best comfort food that they had. **(A/N: personally, I prefer Tim bits as a comfort food)**

They had been talking for a while as if nothing had happened. Finally, Gabby said "we need to talk about it. I know you want to pretend like it didn't happen, but it did, and you're going to have to face it. You know I'll be with you, and Troy will be too. He totally understands your motives."

Taylor sighed. "I know. Well, we'll see what happens tomorrow at school. I'm glad you'll be there with me. It's just that, I liked being unknown. Before today, if you'd said the name of 'Taylor McKessie' to anyone in our school, most of them would have said 'who?' I liked that. I didn't have to worry about how other people perceived me, because they didn't even notice me. Now they'll all be noticing me, and watching every move I make."

Gabby narrowed her eyes. "I think you're making this out to be worse than it will be. No one will care that you used to be a cheerleader. And why do you have to worry about how people will perceive you?"

"Gabby, I thought you'd understand! You told me that you used to be 'the freaky math girl' and everyone treated you different. At East High, being a cheerleader is the highest rank a girl can achieve. I'll have gone from loser to being slightly less than the most popular. That's one consolation I guess: I won't be the MOST popular because I'm not on the cheer squad here. Have you really not been here long enough to see that anybody cool has dozens of people following them, hoping to become cool by being their friend? I don't want to have friends because I used to be a cheerleader; I want to have friends because they like ME."

Gabby nodded and Taylor saw that Gabby understood. Taylor stood up, and smiled. "Now enough of this: let's go hit the stores!"

**-----HSM-----**

Taylor had no idea that behind her were sitting Troy and Chad. They had ended up at the mall's food court a little while after the girls had, and chose to sit nearby. Troy had planned on sitting at the same table with the girls, but as they approached, Gabby had shaken her head warningly. He nodded, and they chose the table behind Taylor.

After the girls had left, Troy and Chad were quiet, thinking about what they had overheard.

"I understand how she feels." Troy said, thinking back to how he is always 'the basketball guy.'

Chad was quiet a little longer. "You know, I think I do too. I'm always annoyed when people come up and talk to me, thinking that because they're talking to me it makes them cool." They sat in silence for a few minutes, and then Troy said. "Well, enough of this. Let's go to my place and shoot some hoops."

**-----HSM-----**

"She needs us now more than ever, to show her that we'll still treat her the same way. Besides, we need to protect her from people trying to use her to become more popular." Gabby was on the phone, talking to Troy.

"OK, that makes sense. But how can we do that?"

"Well, we have most of the same classes together, so I'll be walking with her for most of them. The classes we don't have together are English and her Study block. Isn't Chad in her English class?"

"Yeah, and he has a Study block at the same time she does. I'll call him and explain everything to him after we're done."

"Maybe it would be best if we spent as much time out of the halls as we can." Gabby said, an idea forming in her head."

"That makes sense too. Where should we spend free period and lunch, then?"

"Oh I know. Why don't we meet at your secret spot? It's perfect, because not many people know that it's there, and it's quiet."

"But Gabby-" whined Troy. "It's my secret spot... you know... SECRET spot."

"Troy, please? It's perfect. Aren't you willing to make a sacrifice to help a friend?" Gabby said, knowing that he couldn't say no to that.

Troy growled, knowing that he was beaten. "Well OK, as long as she understands that it's a secret, and she can't tell anybody."

"Oh Troy, you know she would never do that. She wants to be away from everybody just as much as you do."

"All right. Well I guess I'd better call Chad and tell him. So what exactly do I tell him?"

"Well, just to keep everybody away from her, keep her from being bothered."

"Oh, like he'll be running interference?" Troy said, knowing that Chad would understand it if it was explained in basketball terms. **(A/N: Is there interference in Basketball? I think there is, but I might be thinking of football...)**

"Umm, I guess." Having a boyfriend who's a basketball star doesn't necessarily mean that you become a basketball expert. Gabby was trusting that her boyfriend understood and that he knew how to make Chad understand. After all, Troy was Chad's best friend. "Oh, and you'd better make sure that he comes with us during lunch and free period too."

"OK, well I'm going to go call Chad. I'll talk to you tomorrow Gabby."

"Bye, love you."

"Love you too."


	5. Chapter 5

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Taylor was standing about a block from the school. She knew that as soon as she turned to corner, she would be in sight and she wouldn't be able to turn back. She had seriously considered calling in sick, but she knew that she would have to face them sooner or later. She took a deep breath, and turned the corner, keeping her head down. After about five steps, someone ran up to her. She looked up warily, and saw that it was Chad.

"Umm, hey Taylor. Fancy seeing you here. Mind if I walk you to school?"

Taylor sighed in relief. She wasn't worried about Chad. Chad was already popular, and he would probably treat her the same way he always had. She nodded, and started walking with her head down, still hoping that no one would recognize her. Chad was walking beside her, and she was vaguely aware of people around them, but no one came up to her. She wasn't able to see the glares that Chad was throwing at everyone, making them too scared to approach.

Off to the side, the group of cheerleaders were talking. "We need to talk to her, but Chad won't let us near her."

"Could we distract him?"

"Great idea! We'll send in... let me see, who hasn't he dated for a while? Melanie, when was your last date with Chad?"

"Umm, a couple of months ago."

"Ok, we'll send you in to distract Chad. You need to draw him away from her a little bit, so that he won't be able to tell we're there."

So the cheerleaders headed off to try and talk to Taylor. Melanie was certainly doing her job well. She went up, braving Chad's glare. She smiled at Chad, and started talking to Chad. Chad, being the typical teenage boy that he was, forgot all about Taylor, and started flirting with Melanie. Melanie took him by the arm, and they walked to the fountain.

As soon as Chad was gone, the cheerleaders approached Taylor. "Hey Taylor, we want to ask you something."

Taylor looked up, then around for Chad. She noticed that Chad was at the fountain talking with a cheerleader and knew that she would get no help from him. She swallowed then said "Hello Amy. What was it you wanted to ask me?"

"Well, Melissa Forthbright broke her leg last week, and she was a vital member of the cheer squad. On Thursday, we were planning on having tryouts, but yesterday when we found out that you used to be a cheerleader-"

"Second tier too!" Another cheerleader broke in, which earned her a glare from Amy.

"We had a squad meeting and decided that if you wanted you could have the spot without even trying out." This was spoken condescendingly.

Taylor was silent for a second, trying to remain calm. "I'm sorry girls, but I'm not interested in becoming a cheerleader again."

The cheerleaders were in shock, they couldn't believe that someone wouldn't want to be a cheerleader. They all began talking at once, trying to convince her. Each one speaking louder and louder, trying to be heard over the rest. Taylor was trapped in the circle of cheerleaders. She almost started crying. Almost. She was determined not to give way.

The noise that was created caught Chad's ears. He turned around, and saw what was happening. He could have punched himself. He ran over to the group, thinking to himself: _Why did I let Melanie distract me? She isn't even that cute. Taylor's much prettier than she is. Wait; did I just think what I think I thought? Troy's gonna kill me for letting this happen!_

He pushed his way through the group, and grabbed Taylor's arm. He whispered in her ear "What happened?"

"They wanted me to join the squad and I said no." Taylor said quietly. Chad had to strain to hear her. He realized what must have happened, so he turned to the cheerleaders and shouted louder than any of them.

"What is wrong with you? She said no, now leave her alone!" He pulled her roughly, pushing his way through the group. He started running, pulling her along. He was headed for the secret spot so they could talk. Taylor, as usual, had come to school early. They had quite a long time before class started.

Chad looked around to make sure no one saw them, before quickly pulling the outside access door open, shoving Taylor in first, then going after her and shutting the door. They were through before anyone had even known they were there.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**A/N: Kind of a short chapter, but it seemed like this was the perfect place to end it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ok, I'm feeling generous today, so I'll give you 2 updates.**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER SIX**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Taylor collapsed on the iron bench and covered her eyes with her hands. Chad stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at her. He felt very guilty, because after all: if he had stayed beside her, none of this would have happened.

"Taylor I'm so sorry, I should never have left your side."

Taylor smiled, and gave a little laugh. "Well, it was obvious that they planned it all out."

Chad smiled sheepishly. "Yeah... who'd have known that cheerleaders were that smart?" He lost his smile as he realized what he said. "I didn't mean - I mean not that you're dumb or anything. You're really smart, like the smartest person in the school. I wasn't talking about - I didn't mean - " Chad had the feeling that he was just making things worse.

Taylor laughed. "Well it's a good thing I'm not a cheerleader anymore." Chad smiled, and realized that she understood. Him and his big mouth.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, and the silence was interrupted by Gabby and Troy coming up the stairs. Gabby could tell at once that something had happened. She sat beside Taylor and found out the whole story. Troy was standing beside Chad, and when they heard the part about the cheerleader, Troy raised an eyebrow and took him aside.

"Chaa-aad." Troy started

"I know, I know. I got distracted. I'll do better the next time, I promise. Whenever I'm with Taylor I will not take my thoughts off of protecting her."

"Good, because if I hear of another incident like that... Gabby will never forgive me." Troy gave a little laugh, and they walked back to Gabby and Taylor. They were talking about their Chemistry homework, and looked up when the guys came back.

"I explained how we're going to spend lunchtime and free period up here." Gabby said. By saying this, she was warning Troy and Chad that Taylor had no idea that they were going to run interference during and between classes.

"Thank you so much guys, you have no idea how much this means to me."

**-----HSM-----**

Taylor was amazed at how smoothly her day was going. The little incident that morning had been the only thing that had really happened. She was aware of people looking at her in the halls, but no one had tried to become her new best friend.

They were in their study period. Taylor had thought that this would be the worst - because there weren't any teachers to keep the class occupied. But something happened that she hadn't expected.

**--Flashback--**

Taylor had just sat down at a table, the one that was farthest from the others, stuck in a corner where she hoped no one would see her. She was just opening her binder when she realized that someone had approached the table. She looked up and was surprised to see Chad.

"Chad? What are you doing here? Don't you usually use this STUDY period to go practice your basketball?"

Chad was thinking fast, trying to come up with a story that she would believe. "Well, Taylor. The truth is... I'm... not... doing so well in... English. I was wondering if you could help me." Chad was lying; in fact he was doing pretty well in English. He was a slightly better than average student, mostly B+'s and A-'s. But Chad knew that Taylor would believe his story. Everybody thought that he wasn't smart, just because he liked to talk in class. He liked to talk in class because he was bored. He found that he learned best if he studied on his own at home, reading the textbook and taking notes on his own. He even did a little extra research sometimes, if the subject they were studying was interesting.

Taylor smiled at Chad's stuttering. She thought that he was embarrassed to ask for help. "Sure I'll help you Chad. What do you have trouble with? Do you have any old tests that I could look at to see where you're going wrong?"

"Umm, no." Chad's eyes were darting all around, trying to think of something. "I usually throw my tests out, because I don't want my parents to see them. I'm having trouble with this new book we're reading. I have no idea what's doing on, or why the author even wrote it." Chad was congratulating himself on his story. _Careful Chad_ he thought. _You don't want her to find out you're smart. You need her to think you're hopeless at English._

**--End of Flashback--**

Taylor was concentrating on explaining things to Chad. She never even noticed the way that Chad's presence seemed to form a sort of barrier around the table. Chad's thoughts started to wander. _Man, I wonder how long I'll have to keep this up. We have a test tomorrow. Wait! Taylor's gonna want to see it, to see if I've improved because of what she said. I'll just have to be careful not to get too good on it, and then act as if it's way above what I usually get. That should work. Wow, Taylor's eyes are beautiful. Wait. I can't be thinking that. Taylor's just a friend, not even a close friend. She's really smart, and I'm - well I'm smart too, but not brilliant like her. She'd never be interested in me. NO! I don't want her interested in me. Do I?_

Chad was oblivious to the fact that Taylor had asked him a question and was looking at him, waiting for an answer. _Was Chad even paying attention to a word I said? Was I using too many big words? Wow, that was a mean thought, but sometimes I use big words, and no one knows what I've said. It could honestly be the problem. Chad seems to be thinking hard about something, I can see it in his eyes - his big, brown, gorgeous eyes - wait a second, stop it Taylor. This is CHAD you're thinking about. He'd never be interested in me as me. He only dates cheerleaders. I used to be a cheerleader though, so he might become interested_. She frowned. She didn't want to be liked because she used to be a cheerleader.

Chad noticed that she was frowning, and snapped back to reality. "Umm, sorry I have no idea what you're talking about. Ask me again?"

Taylor sighed, and started again.


	7. Chapter 7

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

That afternoon during free period, as Gabby and Troy were talking together, Chad and Taylor were quiet, thinking about their thoughts in Study period.

Taylor was chastising herself for even imagining that Chad could be interested in her, because, after all, previous cheerleader or no, she was still, to him, a science geek. And she was happy with that, wasn't she?

Chad was busy thinking about how he had practically admitted to himself that he wanted Taylor interested in him. He was busy wondering about if, maybe, just maybe, he was interested in her.

Gabby glanced at her friend, and noticed that she was deep in thought. She looked at Chad and saw the same thing. She started whispering to Troy.

"Don't you think that Taylor and Chad would make a good couple?"

Troy laughed. "You can't be serious. CHAD and TAYLOR?" He laughed again. Then he realized how serious Gabby was. "You're serious aren't you? Why do you think that they would make a good couple?" He himself didn't see it, he thought that they were about as opposite as opposites can be.

Gabby giggled a little. "You mean besides the fact that they look so cute together? Well, I was just thinking that, because they are so opposite, they would play very well off of each other. Taylor is so serious, Chad is so... unserious. Taylor could help Chad be more serious, and Chad can help Taylor have a little more fun. There are a bunch of other reasons that I could think of if I had more time to think."

Troy processed the idea in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it. After all, if he and Gabby were a couple, how cool would it be if their best friends were a couple? Then they could go on double dates. He didn't like the fact that Chad went through so many girls, he wanted Chad to commit **(A/N: ooh, the big, scary 6-letter word!)** and get a steady girlfriend.

Troy nodded thoughtfully, "I could get used to them dating."

Gabby frowned. "I don't think we should set them up right now though. Taylor's going through too much. When this is all over... we should definitely try to get them together. After all, everybody deserves to be as happy as you and I are." She beamed up at Troy, and he smiled back.

**-----HSM-----**

When Taylor got home, she immediately collapsed on the couch. She was worn out, and what's more, her neck was sore because she'd been keeping it down all day. _I can't live like this,_ Taylor realized, _afraid to hold my head up proudly. So what if I used to be a cheerleader? That doesn't mean I should stop being who I am. Once people realize that I'm the same as before, they'll get used to it and stop._

She smiled, and decided that it was time to phone Kendra. After all, they had been pretty good friends and it wasn't really Kendra's fault: just her voice, which wasn't really her fault either. So Taylor called Kendra, and the arranged to go shopping together Thursday after school. Kendra would meet her at the school entrance.

Taylor decided to phone Gabby next. She was excited to share her new-found resolve to act normally.

"Gabby, I've decided that I can't let fear control my life." Taylor said dramatically.

"Well, that's always a good thing to know," Gabby said cautiously.

"Yes. It's only been one day, and I'm already sick of hiding. If people want to bother me, let them go ahead, I'm sure I'll be able to get rid of them."

"How?" asked Gabby.

"I'll listen to them talk, then ask if they'd like to join the Scholastic Decathlon Team." Taylor chuckled.

"But wait," Gabby said, realizing something that Taylor didn't. "Since you're 'cool' now, then so is the Scholastic Decathlon, which means people will want to join it."

"Well we're always looking for new members, aren't we?" Taylor said with a smile in her voice. "Anyways, they have to take a test to join... you remember that test, right? **(A/N: I have no idea if this is true either, but they can't have 30 kids on their team... can they?)**"

Gabby shuddered. "Yes, I remember that test. It was hard - even for me!"

"Great, so I'll just keep a bunch of tests in my backpack, and when people say yes, I can automatically give them a test and tell them to get it back to me before the weekend."

"Taylor, you've probably heard this before, but I'm gonna say it again: you're a genius!"

Taylor laughed, "I know..."

"So, what's happening between you and Chad?" Gabby couldn't resist the opportunity for a little girl talk.

"Nothing, we're still just friends. Oh, and I'm helping him with English during Study period. Other than that we're as we always were."

"Oh." Gabby said, disappointed.

"What?" Taylor said with a question in her voice.

"Oh nothing, I've got to go, we've got a tonne of Chem. homework tonight." Gabby said quickly.

Taylor groaned and hung up. Even smart people have nights when they don't want any homework.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know, I know: three new chapters in one day! But it's Valentines Day, so I'm going to be nice.**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

The next day, Taylor put her plan into action. Gabby had phoned Troy, who phoned Chad, and explained Taylor's plan. Troy and Chad were amazed at how sneaky this girl was. But the more Chad thought about it, the more he wasn't surprised. After all, it had been her idea about using webcams. Chad had only thought of a tape recorder. It was Taylor who realized that a webcam, where Gabby could actually see Troy, would be much more effective. Not that they were proud of what they'd done, but Chad was proud of how smart Taylor was. _Whoa, I'm PROUD of her? I can't be thinking this way: it's TAYLOR_

Taylor's plan worked. By lunchtime, the word was spread: don't talk to Taylor McKessie; you'll end up taking a 5-page exam where the only easy questions are your name and the date. Taylor was walking past the fountain when suddenly the cheerleading squad was in front of her.

"Before you ask, Taylor, no we don't want to join your team of smart people. We just wanted to ask you again to at least try out tomorrow after school. We'd love to see what you can do." Amy Jefferson was convinced that Taylor was the answer to their problem. After all, they'd gone through tryouts at the beginning of the year, and she knew what kind of cheerleading talent there was at their school: not a lot.

"I'm sorry Amy," Taylor said with a smile. "I already have plans for tomorrow after school. I'm sorry but I just can't make it."

Amy's face fell, and she leaned towards Taylor confidingly. "The real reason that we want you to join is because when we went through tryouts at the beginning of the year, I was able to see that people with cheerleading abilities are pretty rare here at East High. Knowing that you are an experienced cheerleader, I wanted to see you try out, to see what kind of cheerleading skills they had in your other school."

Taylor's face brightened. "Well if you want to see, then I'll have my friend Kendra show up and give you a little demonstration."

Amy frowned. This wasn't what she'd meant, and she suspected Taylor knew that. _Grr, why does she have to be so SMART?_

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have some preparing to do for the Scholastic Decathlon, speaking of which, are you sure you wouldn't - " But Taylor was alone. She'd been at East High for a short time, but long enough to know how the people work. She turned, laughing, and continued on her way home.

**-----HSM-----**

Chad had been watching Taylor all day**. (A/N: not stalking! just to make that clear, lol)** He was amazed at how good she was at handling everybody who was bothering her. Since Taylor had her plan, they didn't need to hide out at Troy's secret spot anymore, but Chad was still stuck in his "Taylor, I'm having trouble in English..." story. He sighed. Oh well, he can act dumb, can't he? Chad wasn't so sure, so he went to someone he knew could: Ryan Evans.

Sharpay and Ryan were nicer now than they had been before, but they were still mostly by themselves. They were the most driven people in the entire school, which was why they didn't have time to hang out. They knew where they wanted to go, and couldn't afford to waste time.

Chad headed towards the theatre, where he knew Ryan and Sharpay would be practicing a song, or a play or something. They usually ended up spending half of the lunch period in there. He opened the door, and saw Ryan standing alone on the stage; Sharpay was sitting at the piano. They were talking, and Sharpay was hitting the occasional key on the piano.

They looked up when the doors opened. Ryan waved. "Chad, hi. What brings you here?"

"I need to talk with you Ryan, it shouldn't take too long."

Ryan nodded, and they both went into one of the dressing rooms.

"So what's the trouble?" Ryan asked.

"Here's the thing:" Chad explained the whole 'running interference' plan to Ryan. Then he explained how Taylor was able to take care of herself now.

"The problem is that I had to come up with an excuse to spend time during my study block with her, and I came up with 'I'm having trouble in English, could you help me?'"

Ryan had been listening carefully. "Sounds like a good excuse. What's the problem?"

"I have an A in that class! I'm not having trouble, and now that Taylor can handle herself, I don't need to spend study period with her. But now she thinks she's going to help me again during study period, which I have next, and I'm afraid that I'm not a good enough actor to pull of being dumb."

"So you came to me?" It was then that Chad realized what he had just said.

"It's not that you're dumb, it's that you're the best actor in the school." Chad explained quickly, because it was the truth, and Chad didn't want Ryan to jump to the wrong conclusions.

"Oh. Well then you've come to the right place. I don't know if I can help you though. I think it would be better just to tell Taylor the truth. Besides... you can't start acting dumb now, Taylor will notice it."

"So you won't help me?" Chad said, knowing that Ryan was making sense.

"More like a can't than a won't. To be dumb, you have to reach inside yourself, and pull to the front your inner idiocy." Ryan was speaking in a guru-type voice, acting of course.

"Inner idiocy, huh? Well I suppose I could try - " He stopped when he saw the smirk on Ryan's face. "Man you're good, did you know that?"

"Well of course I am: I'm an Evans! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to Sharpay. All I can tell you is to tell Taylor the truth, because she's smart enough to figure it out." With that, Ryan left the dressing room. Chad followed him, thanked him, then left the theatre and headed to the Library. The bell would be going soon for the next period: Chad's study period.

He took a breath, and opened the doors. He navigated his way through the tables until he reached the corner were Taylor was sitting. _She's still sitting in the corner, even though she can handle herself, odd._

"Hey Taylor." They'd had English first period and the quiz on the book. Chad had scored his usual 8.5/10.

"Hey Chad, sit down. How did you do on the quiz we had today?"

Chad sat down, and took a deep breath. "Taylor, I have something to tell you."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Well I just found out that all of my breaks aren't coming through, so I'm going to have to edit my other chapters and come up with another break.**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER NINE**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

"The thing is, I lied about needing your help in English. The truth is that I have an A in that class. I don't need any help; I was just saying that so that you would spend your Study period with me."

"Why?"

"Well," Chad started to explain, but stopped. Taylor was a very independent girl. If she had found out how he was protecting her, she would probably get all mad at him and never talk to him again. And Chad didn't want that. Besides, Gabby and Troy had made it clear that they didn't want Taylor to know about their plan. So, he tried to come up with another plausible story.

"Well, I wanted to spend my study period with you, because, well, because, because, I, wanted to spend time with you." Chad could have kicked himself. _Great, now she's gonna think that you like her, which I do. WAIT! No I don't. It's Taylor. We're just friends. She would never want to be anything more. Stop it! Neither do you_.

Taylor raised an eyebrow. "And why did you want to spend time with me?" _Careful Taylor, don't jump to conclusions. Just because he wanted to spend time with you, doesn't mean he likes you. What else could it mean?_

"Because, well, you know, that's a funny story..." Chad laughed, trying to buy time. But he could see Taylor wasn't buying it. He sighed and swallowed. _Time to take one for the team,_ _Troy you owe me for this! _"Alright, the truth is: I like you. That's why I wanted to spend my study period with you." He sighed, and waited for her response.

Taylor was quiet, thinking furiously. "How long have you liked me?"

Chad was surprised, and answered without thinking, "for a couple of days now." He realized that that might seem a bit sudden, so he added, "And that's why I wanted to get to know you better, by spending my study period with you." Chad was pleased, because this seemed like it could be true.

Taylor's eyes narrowed as she said. "You mean, ever since you found out I used to be a cheerleader?" It was said in a low voice, and Chad didn't hear the threatening note in it.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that, why?"

"Chad Danforth! You low-life, shallow, egotistical idiot!" Taylor started yelling, not caring that they were in the library.

Chad's eyes widened in fear, and he back away as Taylor stood up.

"You always date cheerleaders, and now that you find out that I used to be one, you think that you can just come up to me, and use your charm and get me to date you too? JUST because I used to be a cheerleader? Well think again Chad Danforth, this is one ex-cheerleader you'll never take out on a date!" Taylor grabbed her binder and ran out of the library. She headed for the only place she could think of: Troy's secret garden.

Chad was shocked. He could hardly move. _Is that really what she thinks? That I like her because she used to be a cheerleader? That's not the reason. I mean it wouldn't be, because I do NOT like her._ He sighed. Gabby was going to murder him! In six words, Taylor had gone from possibly liking him back, _not that I like her back either_, to hating his guts. This had to be some sort of record. He headed off to the gym. Shooting baskets helped him to think, and boy he needed to do some serious thinking.


	10. Chapter 10

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER TEN**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Taylor was sitting on the iron bench in what they had started to call "Troy's Secret Garden." She couldn't believe that she had been so close to liking a boy who was only interested in her because she used to be a cheerleader. She hadn't thought that Chad would be so mean - especially now that they were friends.

Yes, she had finally admitted to herself that she was attracted to Chad. She wasn't quite sure if she liked him as a boyfriend should be liked, but she admitted that she could see several fine qualities in him. He was gentle, supportive, surprisingly a good listener when he was in a place he couldn't be distracted. On top of that, he was so cute... _stop it Taylor. You can't like him now. You know he only likes you because you used to be a cheerleader. Thankfully I'm not anymore, so his interest shouldn't last that long_. Why did that thought make her feel so sad?

Chad was in the gym, just him, the basketball and the wall. He was bouncing the ball off the wall, chest-passing it to himself. Why, oh why did he have to have such a big mouth? He could have just told her the truth, he was sure that Gabby and Troy would have understood the reason why. _Now I can't even tell her the real reason, because she'll think that I'm lying. Oh brother what have I gotten myself into? Now she probably won't even talk to me. I'm going to miss that, she was fun to talk to. The way her eyes sparkled when she laughed; her whole face lit up. Stop it Chad, she'll never want to see you again_. At that thought, his hands moved slower and slower, until finally the ball hit him in the head.

As he walked to get the ball, he realized something. He had it bad. Yes he, Chad Danforth, liked a girl. And it wasn't just an attraction like he'd had with the cheerleaders he went out with. He liked everything about her - not just her looks. He picked up the ball, and looked at it. _I need to find a way to make things right, I need to show her that I like her, not because she used to be a cheerleader, but because she's beautiful, inside and out. Maybe Troy and Gabby can help me..._ He smiled, and turned back to the wall.

**-----HSM-----**

Thursday after school, Taylor met Kendra outside of the school. Gabby came along with them. As they walked towards the mall, they passed the field, where Kendra spotted the cheerleading tryouts.

"Come on, Taylor, let's go watch. I want to see what these East High girls can do."

"I'd rather not." Taylor really didn't want to go, but Kendra pleaded and said that it wouldn't take too long. Gabby was interested in watching too. Taylor agreed, but only for a little while, she said.

They approached the stands where the tryouts were being held. After watching five girls try miserably to do a routine, the cheerleaders turned to Kendra.

"Let's see what YOU can do."

Kendra, hearing the sneer in their voice, got up and performed one of her routines. The cheerleaders were amazed. Kendra was good - really good. Better, in fact, than most of their team. Then Amy spotted Taylor.

"Come on, Taylor. Show us some moves." Taylor shook her head. "Oh, I get it. This is all part of your scheme to be popular. You bribe this" pointing to Kendra "cheerleader to come and 'accidentally' say that you used to be a cheerleader. Now you're popular and are afraid because you know you can't do it."

Taylor was getting angry. She resented someone saying that she planned this to be popular. She didn't even want to be popular! Now they were going a little too far. "I can so cheer, let me show you!"

So Taylor went and did a routine. She was almost as good as Kendra. The group of cheerleaders stood there, Amy had a little smirk on her face.

"Ok Taylor, you proved we were wrong. Now just leave!"

"Fine, we will." Taylor said, and marched away across the field, Kendra and Gabby following close behind.

The next day, Taylor arrived at school early. She had planned to meet Gabby early so that they could compare Chem. homework. As she and Gabby walked towards the library, they passed the bulletin boards. Taylor glanced casually at it while passing. She stopped and whirled to face the board.

"Gabby, you're not going to believe this."


	11. Chapter 11

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

CONGRATULATIONS!

Taylor McKessie is the newest member of the cheerleading squad!

After a brilliant performance the squad really had no choice but to

elect that she become our newest member. Her tryout was spectacular!

Come out to the game in a few weeks and check out our latest addition.

Congratulations Taylor! We look forward to working with you!

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Taylor was in shock. "They tricked me." She whispered. "They said what they did just so that I would do a routine. According to the rules, I did try out! Oh no, what am I going to do?"

"Taylor, calm down. All you have to do is quit." Gabby said sensibly.

"I'm going to wait outside of the school, as soon as Amy arrives, I'm quitting!"

Amy, however, was a little too smart for that. That day, she had her mom call in that she was sick. Taylor knew that it would have to wait until Monday.

Taylor made it through the day, carried through by her anger. She was so angry, that any time anyone approached her; they quickly backed away from the intensity of her glare. So much had happened. It was only 5 weeks ago that Gabby had found out. Now, the whole school knew and what was worse: she was tricked into being on the cheerleading team.

**-----HSM-----**

That night, Gabby was over for their weekly get-together. Taylor wasn't really in the mood, but Gabby thought that maybe a night of girl-talk would be just the thing.

"Taylor," Gabby said thoughtfully, "why can't you be on the cheerleading squad?"

"Huh?" Taylor was surprised. She'd never really thought about why she couldn't. "Well, I need time for my studies. I wasn't born brilliant, I work really hard."

"How much time do you spend on schoolwork?" Gabby asked.

"Um, well I usually finish my homework in study period."

"Well then, you could totally work it to do both! You never even considered that, did you?" Gabby laughed. "Besides, it'll look good on your transcript. It will show the colleges you're applying for that you're a well-rounded person."

Taylor thought about it, and realized that Gabby was right. There was no reason why she couldn't do both. "You know what, you're right Gabby. And I promise: I won't let cheerleading come between us. You will always be my best friend."

Gabby smiled. "And you'll always be mine, Tay."

**-----HSM-----**

"I'm telling you, man. She hates me now, and now when all of us hang out together everything will just be weird if she doesn't like me."

"Um, Chad? Is there maybe another reason why you want things to be fixed between you and Taylor?" Troy was on the phone with Chad, and Chad had just told him what had happened during study period the day before.

"N-no. Why would you say that?" Chad didn't want to admit to Troy that he really did like Taylor. He knew that Troy might tell Gabby, who might let it slip to Taylor, who already hated him for that.

"Oh, well maybe it's the fact that I can tell that you're blushing right now."

"You can't know that! We're on the phone, you can't see it!"

"Aha, you just admitted that you were blushing." Troy laughed. He was so sneaky sometimes.

Chad sighed. He was going to have to tell Troy. "Alright, I'll tell you. But you can't tell anyone, especially not Gabby."

"I won't tell, unless she asks me outright, because I will not lie to Gabby."

"Ok, if she asks you and it's impossible for you to avoid it, you can tell her. I like Taylor."

"But I thought you said you were lying?"

"I thought I was, but then I started thinking and realized that it was true. And I don't just like her because she was a cheerleader; I like her because she's smart, sensitive, funny, fun to be with, beautiful - "

"Slow down there, I get the picture. So why is this a problem for you?"

"Because Taylor thinks that I like her because she was a cheerleader. I have an idea!"

"Whoa Chad. YOU have an idea?" Troy said, laughing.

"Don't you be mocking me!" Chad laughed. "Yes. You need to phone Gabby and tell her to tell Taylor about our plan. Then tell Gabby to tell Taylor that I was just lying so that she wouldn't find out that we were protecting her!"

"Wow, Chad. That's a good idea. Why don't you just tell Taylor yourself?"

"I think she'd believe it better if Gabby told her."

"Alright, well I'll phone Gabby. She's at Taylor's right now, but I can reach her on her cell."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Wow, I'm falling behind! I'm only 7 chapters ahead now :p**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

The girls were talking when all of a sudden; Gabby heard her cell phone ringing.

"Hold on, let me see who it is." She pulled it out and saw the caller ID. "It's Troy. He promised never to interrupt our girl's night unless it was important. Do you mind if I take it?"

"No, go ahead." Taylor turned her concentration onto her nails. She was busy painting little daisies on them.

Gabby flipped her cell phone open and said "Troy! What's the matter? Why are you calling?"

"Gabby, I know this might not be classified at the same level as a fire, or an earthquake, but I need to tell you something."

Troy explained everything, leaving out the part about Chad's crush. Gabby agreed to tell Taylor about the plan, and how Chad was just trying to protect her.

Gabby hung up, and turned to Taylor. "Tay, you know how you said you were surprised at how nobody bothered you once they'd found out about you being a former cheerleader?"

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, although I wasn't really paying attention that day."

Gabby explained to Taylor what they'd done. As Gabby had thought, Taylor didn't like the fact that she had been inadvertently leaning on other people. But, as Gabby explained, she needed them. Taylor understood, and said that she was glad that they had done it.

"Taylor, there's something you need to know. It was Chad's job to protect you in English, and in your study period. But he didn't want to tell you that it was his job to protect you, so he lied about liking you."

Taylor's eyebrows shot up. She was quiet, thinking very hard. _Oh man, after what I said to him. I feel terrible. But do I feel terrible because I yelled at him - or is it because I'm disappointed he doesn't like me back?_

"Tay?" Gabby said.

"I think I need to apologize to Chad." Taylor whispered, and left the room. She went into her father's study and picked up the phone. She looked up the Danforth's in the phone book and dialled Chad's number.

"Hello?" A woman answered the phone.

"Hello, may I speak with Chad, please?"

"Just a second." Taylor waited, wondering how exactly she should say what she needed to say.

"Hey, Chad here. What's up?"

"Chad? This is Taylor." Chad almost dropped the phone.

"Oh, um, h-hi Taylor. Why are you calling?" Chad said warily.

"Gabby just told me about what you were doing. I'm calling to apologize for yelling at you. I jumped to conclusions and said some pretty mean things. Will you forgive me?"

"Oh sure, Taylor. I'm just glad you know the truth now. Now we can be friends?" He said hopefully.

"Yes, friends again. So, just to be clear, you don't like me?"

_Oh man, how do I get out of this one?_ Suddenly, he heard his mom calling him. "Oh, hey my mom's calling me - " Chad was interrupted by his mom, who was on another phone.

"Chad, honey, listen can you continue this another time? I need to make a very important call."

"Sure mom. I can continue talking with Taylor on Monday at school. Right Taylor?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll talk to you on Monday. Bye Chad." Taylor hung up, realizing that Chad never did answer her question.

"Bye Taylor." Chad hung up, smiling to himself that he had avoided answering her question. Hopefully she'd have forgotten all about it on Monday.


	13. Chapter 13

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

During the weekend, Taylor phoned Amy and told her that, even though she was mad at being tricked into becoming a cheerleader, she would accept the position. Amy had been confident that Taylor would accept eventually. After all, who wouldn't want to be a cheerleader?

On Monday, Taylor and Chad pretended that everything was fine between them. Taylor was pretending not to be disappointed that Chad didn't like her, and Chad was pretending that he wasn't nervous about being around her.

Gabby and Troy noticed this, and started to put together "Operation Chaylor".

**-----HSM-----**

After school, Troy and Chad were shooting baskets. Troy suddenly stopped and grabbed Chad.

"Chad, you need to get over this!"

Chad sighed. He knew that Troy was right. Taylor would never like him in the same way. "I know, I know. But a part of me doesn't want to get over it. I want to try and win her!"

Troy grinned. "Why don't we try the whole jealousy angle?"

Chad raised an eyebrow. "How would going out on a date with someone else make Taylor like me?"

"Because she'll start to realize that she wants to be that girl with you."

Chad thought about it. What harm could it do? "Ok, I'll do it. Got any girl in mind?"

Troy smiled slowly. "Why yes, I do."

**-----HSM-----**

"Taylor, snap out of it!"

"I'm sorry Gabby," Taylor sighed. She hadn't told Gabby about her crush on Chad. "It's just that it's kind of hard for me to get back in the cheerleading groove." Her first cheerleading practice had been after school, and Taylor was tired and sore.

Gabby raised an eyebrow; she knew that cheerleading wasn't the whole reason for Taylor's behaviour. "I know what will help." Gabby said, pretending that the idea had just struck her.

"What?" Taylor asked.

"A date!" Gabby said, smiling.

"Huh? Tonight? But it's too late to do anything now." Taylor protested.

"No, not tonight. Tomorrow night. Please let me set it up. I've been dying to do something like this for a while now!"

"You mean a blind date? No, I could never do something like that!"

"Not even to make Chad jealous?"

Taylor froze. Hew mind reeling. Somehow Gabby had guessed. She looked at Gabby with a helpless look in her eye.

"Come on Taylor, if Chad saw you with someone else he'd be bound to be jealous!"

"He doesn't like me in that way."

"But maybe seeing you with someone else would make him realize that he does!"

Taylor sighed. She really did need to get out of the house. She hadn't been on a date since she moved to Albuquerque. Slowly, she nodded.

"Great, I know just the guy!"


	14. Chapter 14

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

The next day, Taylor and Chad avoided speaking to each other. They both felt guilty for going out on a date with someone else when all they wanted was to be with each other. While Taylor was walking down the hall headed for the library, Chad was leaning against the wall, watching her walk. He had no where he needed to be, because it was study period.

As he was watching her, he realized that he wasn't the only one. Several other guys were checking Taylor out as she walked by. She, of course, was oblivious to this. Chad narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the idea of other guys checking HIS Taylor out. When he saw some guy smirk at her, his fists balled up and he had to fight to remain calm. He hoped that Troy's friend would do the trick and make her jealous fast, because he didn't know how much longer he could stand it!

**-----HSM-----**

Gabby was helping Taylor get ready for her date that night.

"Taylor, it isn't like you're going to McDonalds or something! You're making Chad jealous! You're going to be going to the Leon D'Or; it's one of the fanciest restaurants in town. You can't just be dressed in jeans and a shirt. Oh, and when you get there, ask for table number 8** (A/N: Can anyone tell me the significance of that number?)**. It's been reserved."

Taylor sighed. "Well, I do have some fancier dresses in the back of my closet. Ones that I never wear."

Gabby rushed to the closet and began looking at her dresses. She pulled one out. "What's this?"

Taylor glanced at it. "Oh, that's just a little something that I made."

Gabby's jaw dropped. "You made this?"

Taylor nodded. "Yes. My cousin wanted the design for her bridesmaids. She got me to help her make them, and she let me make one for myself as well."

"Well this is perfect." **(A/N: " for the picture of the dress)**

Gabby picked up Taylor's jewellery box and started to open it. Taylor rushed over and snapped it shut. "Gabby, I think I'll pick out my own jewellery.

Gabby was a little but confused, but she shrugged and helped Taylor into her dress. "Now let's do your makeup."

"Gabby, let's not go overboard."

Gabby laughed. "Don't worry; I know just the look for you."

**-----HSM-----**

At Chad's house, Troy was there to let Chad know what was happening.

"Ok Chad, we've set up reservations at the Leon D'Or - "

"What?" Chad exploded. "My parents won't let me have that kind of money for a date!"

Troy laughed. "Oh no, you only ask them for half. Then I'll give you the other half."

Chad gulped. "Do you KNOW how expensive that place is?"

"Which is exactly why you have to go there. Taylor will see that you're going to all this trouble for this girl, and she won't like that idea."

Chad sighed. "Alright, but if this doesn't work - "

"Don't think like that!" Troy smiled. "It'll all be fine."

**-----HSM-----**

Chad was a little late, and when the waiter was walking him to the table, his date was already there. She had her back to him, so he wasn't quite sure who it was. All he could see was the back of her head. He sighed, straightened his tie, and walked over to the table. _Might as well get this over with._

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**A/N: Ok, so this chapter was boring, but I had a lot of fun looking at dresses and picking out what Taylor would wear. Maybe, if you're very nice and I get lots of reviews, I'll post the next chapter earlier. (Just because this is such a boring chapter, lol.)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Ok, only 2 of you figured out (or at least bothered to tell me :p) the significance of the number 8...**

**Since everyone was awesome and reviewed, here is the next chapter, enjoy! I know I enjoyed writing it!**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Taylor looked up when someone stopped at her table. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw who it was.

"Chad?" Taylor said disbelievingly

"Taylor?" Chad said at the same time.

Chad sat down and ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't believe Troy would do this to me."

"I can't believe Gabby would do this to me!" Taylor said in response. Then they realized that it had all been planned out. Taylor groaned. The waiter approached them with a couple of menus. Chad started to say that they would be leaving, but Taylor stopped him. "No, Chad. Troy and Gabby obviously went to a lot of trouble for this. Besides," she grinned, "You can always give the bill to Troy."

Chad smiled, and took the proffered menus. The waiter asked what they would have to drink. They both chose to have water.

The restaurant was quietly elegant, with soft lighting and many plants all over the place. It was behind one of these bushes that Troy and Gabby were hidden.

"Troy," Gabby whispered, "why couldn't we have gotten a table too? We can't stay here for long."

"Gabby, I'm not poor, but I can't afford four dinners at this place. My dad would kill me!"

Gabby thought hard. "I have an idea."

They both left the restaurant, and Gabby took out her cell phone. She called a friend of hers who was the editor of the newspaper.

"Monica, I need a little favour and you're the only one that can help."

Within a few minutes, it was arranged that Troy and Gabby would be writing a series of articles, each one a review of a place to eat. Each place would be judged by whether or not it made a great date. The newspaper would cover all costs. Monica was very excited about the idea, and as soon as she hung up started to work on the layout of the paper.

"Ok, that's covered. But there's another problem. We can't go into that place dressed like this!" Gabby said, looking down at her jean skirt and plain white t-shirt with a green v-necked sweater layered on top.

"What's wrong? You look fine to me."

Gabby rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, we don't have time; we've already been gone for five minutes. Do you know how much can happen within five minutes?"

Gabby sighed. "We wouldn't be able to get a table anyways; we would have needed to reserve one. Oh well, I'll hear all about it from Taylor, though I'm sure she'll leave stuff out."

"Chad won't be talking much about it, but I'll see what I can find out."

Gabby smiled at Troy. "Well, since we have an article to write, why don't we start at Denny's?" **(A/N: Wow, Denny's was random)**

**-----HSM-----**

Chad and Taylor, as soon as the waiter had left, had been sitting very uncomfortably in silence for about a minute. The waiter returned with their waters and menus. Chad was making a point of studying the menu, his eyes creeping upwards over the top every few seconds to catch a glimpse of Taylor. _Does she know how beautiful she looks?_

Taylor was determined not to look at Chad. She kept her eyes glued to the menu, unconsciously looking at the prices before deciding what she would have to eat. _Wow, Chad looks hot in that suit. Who would have known he would look so great in a suit? Stop it Taylor, you're only making things worse. _**(A/N: Does anyone else agree with me that guys look awesome in suits? There's just something about a guy in a suit…)**

Chad cleared his throat. "So, um why don't we get an appetizer to share?" Taylor nodded. They were both thinking the same thing: _It'll cut down on the cost._

Taylor said tentatively, "You know, I've always wanted to know what escargot tastes like."

Chad nodded, "sure we can get those. I've always wanted to try them as well."

Taylor smiled. "A friend of mine had them once, and she couldn't stop raving about how awesome they tasted."

Chad smiled, and Taylor nearly melted. "Sure Taylor, if you want them, we can get them." They both returned to studying the menu. They both looked up at the same time. "Since Troy is paying," Chad grinned, "I think I'll have the lobster."

Taylor chuckled. "The best time to try expensive foods is when you're not paying for it."

Chad laughed, thinking to himself: _I'll definitely be paying for some of this. I can't punish Troy for setting me up on a date with the woman of my dreams! I'll pay for everything! Or, at least most of it._ Chad glanced at the price side of the menu, and quickly added everything up. Chad sighed with relief, it wasn't as much as he'd imagined.

Taylor closed her menu. "I think I'll have the lobster too."

The waiter arrived at the table as soon as Taylor put down her menu. "Are you ready to order?"

Chad glanced up from his menu. "Yes, we'll start off with 'Les escargots bourguignonne au parfum d'anis,'" Chad said this casually, pronouncing every word perfectly. Taylor was surprised. She didn't know that Chad spoke French.

"Then for the main course we'll both have 'La bisque de homard', but can we please have a non-alcoholic substitute for the brandy." He winked at Taylor. "After all, we're only 16." He smiled at the waited and handed him their menus. The waiter nodded with a little smile, gathered their menus and walked away.

Chad and Taylor were left to sit in an uncomfortable silence.


	16. Chapter 16

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN - written on Valentine's Day, ironic, no?**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

_Think Chad; think of something cool and amusing to say._ Chad looked at Taylor, thinking hard.

"So, did you understand the symbolism in chapter twelve that Ms. Fraughtnord tried to explain to us today?" **(A/N: Ms. Fraughtnord (I love coming up with names) is their English teacher**) _Oh man, that was such a stupid thing to say._

"I understood where she was coming from, but I didn't quite agree. I thought that the symbolism was symbolizing something different."

"I had the same idea, especially since there's the allusion near the end."

They were quiet for a few minutes more, each trying to think of something to say.

Chad cleared his throat. "You look really good tonight. I mean, not that you don't at school, it's just that tonight you're dressed differently and stuff. It's just different, and it makes you look different." Chad was speaking really fast and rambling. His tongue was getting all twisted up in his words. He said desperately, "Your necklace is really pretty." **(A/N: for the necklace. I wish I owned one like that... sigh)**

Taylor reached up with a hand and grabbed it. "Yes, and it's very special to me. My dad died when I was 14, and this was the last present he ever gave to me. He told me that in the 13th century they believed that sapphires would turn irritability into good temper." She smiled. "It's my birthstone: a sapphire."

Chad blinked. "Aren't sapphires usually blue?"

"Usually. But they do come in other natural colours. I wear it whenever I need to borrow strength." Taylor smiled softly, thinking of her father.

"And you felt you needed strength tonight?" Chad asked quietly.

"Well, it was a blind date. I'm shy around strangers."

The waiter then arrived with their appetizers and the two began to eat.

**-----HSM-----**

When the dinner was over, the two decided not to have any dessert, their meal was very filling. Chad asked for the bill. His father had leant him his credit card, with the strict condition that he would be paid back within a week. Leaving as large a tip as Chad felt he could afford, he escorted Taylor out of the restaurant.

It hadn't been as bad as he'd expected. During dinner, they hadn't talked much, but things had been comfortable. Both felt as if they didn't need to talk. Taylor thought of the famous saying "true friendship comes when silence between two people is comfortable." Chad was thinking of the exact same quote, and wondering whether it had meant anything tonight.

"So which direction is your house?" Chad asked.

"You're going to walk me home?" Taylor asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course," Chad said, and started walking beside Taylor.

After a few minutes, Chad took a deep breath. "Taylor, I-I had a really good time tonight."

"Me too, Chad." _Should I tell him? No, I'll wait until he gives me some sort of signal. I still don't know if he could ever like me for me._

"Tonight has just made me realize all the more how much I like you." Chad started speaking fast, afraid that Taylor would start yelling at him again. "I like you because you're smart, funny and beautiful. You always have a good attitude, and I'm never bored when I'm around you, even when we're not talking. I just wanted to let you know that I really, really like you, Taylor." Chad held his breath, waiting for her response.

Taylor and Chad had stopped walking, and were just standing on the sidewalk. Taylor was looking down at the ground. When Chad had finished talking, she raised her eyes to his.

"Chad," Taylor took a deep breath. "I feel the same way." She looked down, embarrassed. "I like you too. I was confused, because I wanted you to like me, but I was sure that the only reason you would like me is because I used to be a cheerleader. I didn't want that, I wanted you to like ME."

"Cheerleaders have never been special to me, just the occasional date. Contrary to popular belief, I've never even had a girlfriend. I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you." Chad and Taylor had started walking again.

"Does this mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend?" Taylor asked.

"I think it does."

They had reached Taylor's house, and Chad walked her up to the porch. Chad looked at Taylor. "Can I kiss you?"

Taylor nodded her heart racing. Slowly, Chad leaned in, and they both experienced their first kiss. It only lasted for a few seconds. Chad stood, looking at Taylor with a small smile on his face. "Good-night, I'll see you tomorrow at school."

Taylor nodded, and slowly moved to the door. Chad waited until she was inside, then turned and headed home. They were both thinking the same thing: _Tonight was perfect._

**A/N: Oh, the story isn't over yet, just you wait!**


	17. Author's Note

**A/N:**

**After a long thought and careful consideration, I've decided to end the story at the point where Taylor and Chad get together after the date.**

**Now before you go shooting flaming arrows and poison darts at me **_leaves room to go get a shield_

**I just feel that chapter is a good place to end it. I had a lot of fun writing about Daniel and Jessica, and one day I might continue their story. But I feel its time for the story to some to a close.**

**I had a blast, but I'm now turning my writing in a different direction. For those of you who have me on author alert you already know that I've taken up POWER RANGERS. There is a distinct lack of stories about Operation Overdrive's Mack and Rose, the red and pink rangers. So I've taken up their cause. So if you watch Power Rangers, check out my stories, I'd love to know what you think.**

**Thank you to everyone that reviewed! Your reviews were what kept me going and inspired me to write more.**


End file.
